Foreman could be in line for TysonA heavyweight fight...

Sports briefly

A heavyweight fight between former champions Mike Tyson and George Foreman could be held later this year in Las Vegas, says promoter Don King, who has labeled the match "The People's Championship."

"We're very close to consummating this deal," King, who manages Tyson, said after negotiating Monday with Roy Foreman, George's brother and manager.

King said both fighters would split the revenue equally, with each receiving $15 million, and would divide a two-thirds split of pay-per-view revenues.

In another development, the Los Angeles Times reported that Tyson is feuding with King and met with promoter Harold Smith. Smith, presently adviser to light-heavyweight champion Tommy Hearns, was a flamboyant boxing promoter in the 1970s, until he was convicted on a major bank fraud case.

* The World Boxing Council likely will order a rematch of the super featherweight title fight between Azumah Nelson and Australian Jeff Fenech, president Jose Sulaiman told an Australian radio station.

Sulaiman acknowledged that the draw last Friday night that allowed Nelson, the champion from Ghana, to retain his title was a "grave controversy." However, he stopped short of saying Fenech won and said the WBC will not reverse the decision.

Pro football

A pulled leg muscle kept Raghib "Rocket" Ismail out of his second straight CFL preseason game with the Toronto Argonauts, a 28-25 overtime loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Ontario.

Ismail, a wide receiver-punt returner from Notre Dame, was the consensus No. 1 pick in last April's NFL draft, but instead signed a four-year deal with Argonauts worth up to $26 million.

Broadcasting

Sports commentator Howard Cosell underwent further chest surgery Monday as part of his treatment for cancer, a statement from his family confirmed.

Cosell, 73, had a malignant tumor removed from his chest on June 10. He returned to the air for ABC Radio a week later.

Eight divers from the Chesapeake Bay Dive Club will compete in the eastern zone championships of the 1991 Speedo/U.S. Diving Junior Olympic Championships July 12-14 in Bethesda. The eight, who advanced to the zone championships last weekend in Pittsburgh, are Jeff Harrison of Loyola Middle School, Clara Hilton of Hereford High School, Martha Hilton of Fifth District Elementary School, Alex Katz of Gilman, Koffi Kla of Sherwood High School, Amanda Klockers of Newark High School, Lindsey McElroy of Owen Brown Middle School and Matt Murray of Sherwood.

Preps

Jan R. Smith, a three-time Utah high school coach of the year who won three state championships despite having multiple sclerosis, has died from complications of the disease. He was 41.

Funeral services will be held today for Smith, honored as a father and inspiration to hundreds who witnessed his 19-year struggle with the disease. He died in an Ogden hospital.

Smith, a former running back for Brigham Young, coached the Morgan High School football team to state championships in 1977, 1979 and 1983. He compiled a 109-46 overall record in 14 years at the school.

Pro basketball

One of the surgeons who operated on Larry Bird's back said that there were no real surprises in the two-hour procedure.

"I don't see how he played with what he had," said Dr. Alexander Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and chief of spine surgery at New England Baptist Hospital, who operated on Bird along with Dr. Gerwin Neumann, a neurosurgeon, on June 7. The two were not permitted to speak about the operation after it took place.

Yesterday, however, Wright discussed the operation. Wright said the operation was a fairly common one and that he had a similar message for those about to undergo the procedure.

"We tell the patient that there is a 70-75 percent chance that they will see a 70-75 percent improvement," he said. "But for someone like Larry, the numbers would probably be lower because of what he does."